The French multinational Veolia and Morocco’s Interior Ministry have reignited discussions on the Rabat desalination plant, a landmark project with an annual capacity of 300 million cubic meters. Backed by French authorities, the initiative regains momentum after months of stalled negotiations.
Negotiations now focus on securing a target price of 4.5 Moroccan dirhams per cubic meter for the desalinated water. The proposed facility aims to produce 822,000 cubic meters of potable water daily, powered entirely by renewable energy sources.
Talks initially slowed due to financial disagreements and climate-related delays, though no unilateral decisions disrupted the process. Diplomatic efforts resumed following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in October 2024, during the state visit of the French President to Morocco.
Under a public-private partnership, Veolia will oversee the plant’s design, financing, construction, and operation for 35 years. Located on the Atlantic coast near Rabat, the facility will supply water to the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Fès-Meknès, meeting the needs of approximately 9.3 million people.
A week prior to these developments, Morocco and France convened the High Joint Commission in Rabat, co-chaired by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Moroccan Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch.
Meanwhile, major international players continue to eye Morocco’s growing desalination market. Spanish firms Acciona and Cox are competing to build the future Tangier desalination plant, slated for completion between 2028 and 2029 with an annual output of 150 million cubic meters.
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